In the immediate aftermath of the Celtics’ Game 4 loss to the Knicks, there was no major update when it came to Jayson Tatum’s right foot injury. The C’s star was forced to leave late in the fourth quarter after the apparent non-contact injury. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said postgame that Tatum would get an MRI on Tuesday.
Tatum couldn’t put any weight on that right foot as he had to be carried off the court by trainers. Then in the back, ESPN cameras caught him having to be in a wheelchair to get to the locker room. By Tuesday afternoon, there was no formal update on his status, but ESPN’s Shams Charania had a grim account when it comes to Tatum and his foot.
“The Boston Celtics are bracing for the worst around Jayson Tatum and that right foot,” Charania said. “He underwent an MRI today in New York City, and the Celtics since last night, have been expecting a severe injury for Tatum.”
Tatum finished with 42 points before the early exit as he rained 3-pointers down at Madison Square Garden. But when Tatum went for a loose ball in the fourth quarter, he immediately went to the ground and grabbed at his right foot. After the C’s called timeout, the trainers raced onto the court to help him leave.
The Celtics are down 3-1 to the Knicks in the East semifinals. So even though they’re dealing with the mental toll of Tatum’s injury, they still have a crucial elimination game coming up on their home court. Tatum will unlikely be able to play in the 7 p.m. Wednesday Game 5 as the C’s look to rally without their best player.
“Obviously that’s our brother and you hate to see him go down,” Derrick White said. “We just know the type of guy he is, and it’s just tough to see him go down. But obviously, right now, it’s pretty low because of the game, and we just got to find a way to win Game 5.”